Day 27 #Ramadhan - Step 30 - Sufi Secrets & Gems of Ramadhan by ~Sajad Ali~
Commentray of Surah Layla tul Qadr - the Night of Power and what does Laylatul Qadr Mean?
Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem
1. We have sent down this (Qur'an) in the Night of Glory
Inna anzalnahu fee laylatialqadri
“Allah sent the Qur’an down all at once from the Al Lawh al Mahfuz-Preserved Tablet to the House of Might (Bayt al-’Izzah) also called Al-Bayt Al-Ma`mur, which is in the heaven. The angels worship Allah in Al-Bayt Al-Ma`mur and perform Tawaf around it just as the people of the earth perform Tawaf around the Ka`bah. Al-Bayt Al-Ma`mur is the Ka`bah of those who reside in the seventh heaven. During the Isra' journey, the Prophet peace be upon him saw sayyiduna Ibrahim Al-Khalil, who was reclining with his back on Al-Bayt Al-Ma`mur. It was Ibrahim who built the Ka`bah on earth, and surely, the reward is compatible with the action. Al-Bayt Al-Ma`mur is parallel to the Ka`bah; every heaven has its own house of worship, which is also the direction of prayer for its residents. The house that is located in the lower heaven, is called Bayt Al-`Izzah.
Then it came down in parts to the Messenger of Allah based upon the incidents that occurred over a period of twenty-three years.”
nazzala which indicates gradually, while the Torah and the Gospel were revealed to the Prophets Musa (Moses) and ‘isa (Jesus) at one time, as reflected by the form anzala.
Laylatul Qadr - Night of Power
Qadr - meaning nobility/honor/dignity and constriction / congestion
It’s called this because so many angels are sent down to the Earth on this Night, that the Earth is filled and congested / packed with angels on this Night. thus its power.
2. And what do you know what the Night of Glory is?
Wama adraka ma laylatualqadri
to surprise you and give you awe.
What in the world could possibly give you a clue to what the Night of Power is?
By Allah repeating the words ‘Night of Qadr’ again in the 2nd ayah, it shows the Night’s strong importance. Then for Allah to repeat the words; ‘Night of Qadr’ (Laylatul Qadr) in the 3rd ayah again, shows how extremely important and majestic this Night is in the sight of Allah. The only time something is repeated for the 3rd time in a surah is in Surah Qadr. This gives the Night of Power a strong emphasis.
The wisdom behind not knowing when the Night of Qadr is;
- Laziness – people would only worship in this night and not in any of the other nights of the year.
3. The Night of Glory is better than a thousand months.
Laylatu alqadri khayrun min alfi shahrin (83.3)
“There was a man from the Children of Israel who would pray all night and then fight Jihad against the enemy all day, and he did this for a thousand months. Allah then revealed the verse: “The Night of Qadr is better than a thousand months...” So, praying on this night is better than the actions of that man.”
Deeds you do in this night is better than the deeds you do in more than 1000 months (around 83 years and 4 months). It’s a gift for shorter lives to catch up ibadah with previous nations that lived long lives.
During the time of Allah’s Messenger,The Arabs would say; “I will be your friend for 1000 months” = meaning, ‘I will be your friend, always.’
So this could ayah could mean that The Night of Qadr is better than all times.
scholars commented that if you have broken up with someone i.e. A relative, a Muslim friend etc. – then this is the best night to do the good/khayr of uniting with them and removing the hard feelings between each other.
4. The angels and the Spirit descend in it with every decree, by the permission of their Lord.
Tanazzalu almala-ikatu waalrroohu feeha bi-ithni rabbihim min kulli amrin
The angels and the Spirit-Ruh-(Jibril with Flags) descend in it with every decree, by the permission of their Lord meaning, the angels descend in abundance during the Night of Al-Qadr due to its abundant blessings.
.bi idhni Rabihim.. by the permission of their Master.
The angels descend with the descending of blessings and mercy, just as they descend when the Qur'an is recited, they surround the circles of Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and they lower their wings with true respect for the student of knowledge.
Jibril repeats his Sunnah every year, of coming down on the day the Qur’an was first revealed.
5. That Night is peace, until the rising of the dawn.
Salamun hiya hatta matlaAAi alfajri
The entire Night, from evening till morning, is peace, free from every evil and mischief.
The angels pass by the believers doing worship and give Salaam [prayers of peace] to every single one of them individually. What an honour.
This is a month, the 1st part of which brings Allah's Mercy, the middle of which brings Allah's forgiveness and the last part of which brings releasing from hellfire."
So what is it that brings releasing from hellfire...?
This is why Allah says;
'When Allah completed the creation, He wrote in His Book which is with Him on His Throne, 'My Mercy overpowers My Anger.'
The Dua for Laytul Qadr to recite alot:
Allahumma innaka 'a-fuw-wun tuhib-bul 'afwa fa'fu 'anni'
O Allah You are The One Who forgives, and loves to forgives, so forgives me
‘afuw (root: ain fa wow) means to wipe away without a trace Al-’Afuw is one of the majestic names of Allah. You can read more about it here.
al-’Afuw: This is another aspect of forgiveness
This name occurs in the Qur’an 5 times and 4 of these times, it is linked with Al-Ghafoor. Literally the word ‘Afw means “to release” “to heal”, “to restore”, “to remit”, to leave, neglect (pardon), to wipe away, and to increase.
As for ‘afw’ its verb is ‘aafa’ which means to exempt, to kindly indulge, to kindly overlook (a wrong), to reduce a price. When Allah grants afw to a servant it means at least two things. One, Allah disregards his wrongs out of kindness and two, Allah exempts him from some burdens once the servant thinks that he cannot bear it easily enough and respectfully protests his weakness.
On a large scale afw becomes ‘aafiya’ and it applies to a life free from too much trouble and suffering as well as exemption from burdens Allah could impose but out of kindness did not. Hence we hear the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him praying “Allahumma inni as’alukal-afwa wal aafiya fee deenee wa dunyaya wa- a-akhira
'Aafiyah is Allah's defence of His servant from things like disease and tribulation. 'Afu is the one who possesses great 'afw.
And 'afiyaa-til 'abdaani is used in salawat tibbi;
Allahumma salli 'ala sayyidina Muhammadin tibbil-qulubi wa dawa'iha wa 'afiyaa-til 'abdaani wa shifaa'iha wa nuril-absaari wa dhiyaa'iha wa 'ala 'alihi wa sahbihi was-sallim
O Allah convey Your Peace to our master Muhammad and the family of Muhammad bless him, who is the medicine and remedy for our hearts, the health and healing of our bodies, and the light and radiance of our eyes and bless his companions with peace.
The Name 'afw implies that He ignores the sins of the servant. He knows the sins (you must know them before you can make 'afw of them) but He does not call the servant to account for it. The servant is deserving of punishment, and Allah has full ability to punish His servants, but Allah does 'afw for them. It is more than just pardoning or covering it up, it is wiping it away completely
So it means or asking Allah, “to release us from the burden of punishment due to our sins and mistakes”, “to restore our honour after we have dishonoured ourselves by committing sins and making mistakes.” Sometimes in the Qur’an both names: ‘Afuw and Ghafoor come together.
When the Name is paired with Al-Ghafoor, we see an extra level of forgiveness. Al-Ghafoor is the One who forgives no matter how large the sin. When we look back at the original supplication, we see a more profound meaning.
al-Ghafoor: The most Forgiving
This name occurs in the Qur’an more than seventy times. There are other names from the same root, such as Ghafir and Ghaffar. The meaning of the “ghafara” is to cover, to hide and from it comes the meaning “to excuse”, “to pardon”, “to remit” and “to forgive”. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala does all these things. In the Qur’an, it is mentioned that Allah does not forgive shirk (without repentance) but He may forgive every other sin for whomsoever He wills. (al-Nisa’ 4:116) We must turn to Allah to seek His forgiveness.
In spite of that warning, He wipes our sins away for us, no matter how major they are. Not only does He wipe them away, but He loves to wipe them away.
27th Night why
Laylatul Qadr has 9 letters. is mentioned 3 times in this surah. 9 x 3 = 27 This surah has 30 words in it (like 30 days in a month). But the 27th word is hiyya [meaning 'it']. implies that this word is the 27th word out of the 30, the same way the 27th night is the night of Qadr out of the 30 nights.
What are the signs or indications that it’s Laytul Qadr
"Laylatul-Qadr is calm and pleasant, neither hot nor cold; the sun arises on its morning being feeble and red."
1--Peaceful, tranquil quiet night. You do not hear the barking of dogs, donkey's don't brae, or the sound of the cockerel.
Hadith - If you hear the barking of a dog or the braying of a donkey at night, seek refuge in Allah from Satan the devil, because they see what you do no see" and "When you hear a rooster crowing, then ask Allah for His Bounties, for it has seen an angel. As such, given the abundance of angels on Laylatul Qadr, it is likely that you would not hear very many dogs barking and donkeys braying, but may notice roosters crowing a lot more. However, remember that this is not some sort of fool proof major sign.
Salamun hiya hatta matlaAAi alfajri
That Night is peace, until the rising of the dawn.
The entire Night, from evening till morning, is peace, free from every evil and mischief.
2--Rain may fall either during the night or during the day of that night.- there is rain. This is one of the signs of Laylatul Qadr. – Soft or gentle rain.
3--During night the sky will be lightly foggy - there are very few clouds in the sky and very little wind.
4--The angels and Gabriel all descend down onto earth for many blessings and people experience a pleasant breeze or a pleasant wind which they enjoy which they like.
5-- The sun rises early in the morning without rays and The sky will be slightly lighted without reflections and without rays. – meaning the disc of the sun is seen without strong rays or is without any rays. The disc is a clear disc when it rises in the morning. The sun at sunrise would appear reddish and without its normal blazing and sharp rays.
“By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, the Night of Qadr is so heavy on the disbeliever and hypocrite that it feels like a mountain on his back.”
"Whosoever offers nafil prayers during the Night of Power out of belief and expecting from Allah its reward will have his past sins forgiven." Hadith
Another Dua for Ramadhan:
another dua for Ramadhan, this meaning:
allaahumma rabba shahri ramaz'aanal lad'ee anzalta feehil qur-aana waftaraz'ta a'laa i'baadika feehls s'iyaama s'alli a'laa muh'ammadin wa aali muhammad warzuqnee h'ajja baytikal h'araam fee a'amee haad'aa wa fee kulli a'am waghfir lee tilkad'd'unoobal i'z'aam fa-innahoo laa yaghfiruhaa ghayruka yaa rah'maan yaa a'llaam
O Allah, the Lord, (this is) the month of Ramadan, in it Thou revealed the Holy Quran, and in it made obligatory "fasting" upon Thy servants, send blessings on Muhammad and on the children of Muhammad, and provide us with the means to go to Thy Sacred House for "Hajj" this year and every year; and in this month forgive my grave sins, verily, other than Thee, no one can liberate (me) from its consequences, O Beneficent, O Omniscient.
Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem
1 Inna anzalnahu fee laylati alqadri
We have sent down this (Qur'an) in the Night of Glory
2. Wama adraka ma laylatu alqadri
And what do you know what the Night of Glory is?
3. Laylatu alqadri khayrun min alfi shahrin
The Night of Glory is better than a thousand months.
4. Tanazzalu almalaikatu waalrroohu feeha biithni rabbihim min kulli amrin
The angels and the Spirit descend in it with every decree, by the permission of their Lord.
5. Salamun hiya hatta matlaAAi alfajri
That Night is peace, until the rising of the dawn.
